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South Jordan Journal

Miners defeated Riverton in rematch to win state championship

Jun 15, 2018 11:41AM ● By Josh Mc Fadden

The Miners baseball team defeated local rival Riverton to win the 6A state baseball championship. (Photo courtesy Kerry Stevens)

By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

Unlike most sports in the high school ranks, the state baseball tournament gives teams a second chance to stay alive.

The Bingham Miners appreciated that this past season.

The Miners defeated Riverton 9-0 on May 25 to win their 22nd state championship and the first 6A crown in the first year of the classification. The victory came just hours after Riverton had blanked Bingham 7-0, setting up a winner-take-all game in the finals.

Bingham used a huge six-run third inning to put some distance between itself and Riverton. The Miners added a pair of runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to account for their scoring. Meanwhile, solid pitching from Derek Soffe and strong fielding kept Riverton off the board in the shutout triumph.

The Miners had 13 hits to just five for Riverton. Noah Wallick hit a home run, while Camden Snarr, Brandon Thomas and Joey Dixon each hit doubles.

The championship-clinching win was a far cry from the previous game when Riverton ran roughshod over the Miners. In that contest, Riverton outhit Bingham 13-3. The Miners also had three errors in the game. Riverton built its lead gradually, picking up a run in the second, two in the third and three more in the fourth. The Silverwolves added its seventh run in the final inning.

The Miners were otherwise dominant at state. In the four games leading up to its loss against Riverton, they never allowed more than two runs and scored in double figures each time. Bingham’s closest game before the finals was a 10-2 win over Region 1 champion Davis in the quarterfinals. The team also routed Weber 11-1, Copper Hills 15-1 and American Fork 13-2.

Overall, Bingham finished the season with a 21-10 mark. Five of those losses came against out-of-state teams, including four in the National Classic in Placentia, California, the first week of April. In a very challenging Region 4, the Miners went 10-2 to come in first.

Several players had standout seasons for Bingham. Soffe was excellent on the mount, going 9-1. He also hit three doubles. Nick Burdette hit four home runs, four doubles and a triple, while Thomas had seven doubles, a triple and a home run. Nick Stevens hit four doubles and four triples.

The Miners lost some firepower from this year’s squad, including Soffe, Thomas, Snarr and Wallick all graduated. But Bingham will also welcome back some underclassmen who contributed to the team’s success.